to eating...ants (yes, ants!) when a friend offered to share them with me. They were delicious! They were roasted and tasted like potato chips (just with legs...yikes!). I have also said YES! to going to different restaurants and events that people have invited me to. I went to a funk concert last weekend, and this weekend I will go to my boss' dad's 90th birthday party!
In the culture here, it is very common for people to ask if you will accompany them to do various errands-it is seen as a time to hang out with others! So for example, last week, I went to the bank with one of my friends, I went to my friend's eyebrow appointment with her, and I went with my friend to get her blood drawn at the hospital. This all happened in one week! For me, at first it was a little odd to be invited to go grocery shopping with my friends, but now I see that it is nice to have company and is a good way to get to know people by running errands with them. I am glad that I said YES!
Another way that I am apart of my community is from taking salsa dancing classes. Most people here dance salsa, especially at social events. During my first week here, my boss took me to a professor dinner event, and many professors asked me to dance (everyone was dancing!) and I felt awkward because I was not as good as everyone else. In my salsa dancing classes, I have met a lot of people from many different ages and have become more confident in my dancing. It is also a lot of fun!
There have also been some cultural mismatches that I have run into while integrating into my community. A majority of my job is meeting with professors and students.
